A story that makes you feel jealous of a childhood friend with an especially strong sense of possessiveness!? “I Can’t Be Satisfied with Just Being Childhood Friends Vol. 1” by Momose An (百瀬あん).

Introducing “I Can’t Be Satisfied with Just Being Childhood Friends Vol. 1” from Frontier Works DARIA COMICS!

The following is quoted from the back cover. This review touches on the story’s content! If you just want a brief idea of what it’s about, I’d be happy if you read only the highlighted sections.

I always wanted to keep you all to myself…

Aoi begins sharing a place with his childhood friend Ryota.

Aoi is proud of Ryota for being cool and popular, while Ryota is so completely devoted to Aoi that he can say with a straight face, “As long as I’m with Aoi, anything is fine,” showing just how Aoi-centered Ryota truly is.

I believed that this kind of relationship would continue forever.

However, one day, when Aoi wakes up after dozing off, he finds Ryota leaning in, about to kiss him…?!

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Aoi can’t forget the warmth he felt when Ryota touched him—

Caught off guard by the sudden turn of events, Aoi can’t forget the warmth he felt when Ryota touched him.

Momose An (百瀬あん), widely loved for “Naka made Aishite,” is an author who really gets to me—but personally, the word “childhood friends” makes my heart race nonstop!! (critical heart-thumping alert←) The adorable cover immediately catches your eye, and before you know it… this childhood-friend dynamic is seriously addictive…!!

A deadpan line that completely gives away his overwhelming possessiveness…!!

Ryota, the same age as college student Aoi, has always done everything together with him since they were little. First of all, they’re both incredibly good-looking…!! Even when they find someone they like and start dating, they end up breaking up around the same time, and somehow always move in sync. Wanting to make their college life more comfortable, the two decide to start sharing a place together.

After moving in, the two go to greet their neighbors and meet the couple Koichiro and Juri. (They’re incredibly polite.) *Their story has also been released as a comic, so I’m planning to introduce it on the blog in the future—stay tuned!*（＾＾）！

Ryota is so devoted to Aoi that he effortlessly brushes off friends who try to set him up with women at college—it’s incredibly cute… this is what you’d call slyly adorable, isn’t it…!! You can see hints of his possessiveness peeking through all along, and my heart starts racing as his true feelings are gradually revealed (〃▽〃).

Caught off guard by the intimate moments of the neighboring couple…!!

As they go out for drinks and spend more time together after their initial greetings, their relationships with each other gradually deepen. Ryota even exchanges contact information with their neighbor Juri and, unusually, starts chatting with him, which leaves Aoi feeling unsettled. From there, the way their feelings begin to shift away from simply being childhood friends leads to beautiful scenes of confusion as those emotions slowly change…!

In the physical edition, the back cover features memories shared by the two of them, so I highly recommend taking a look—it makes the emotional impact even stronger! (It might even feel a bit overwhelming.)

One day, stirred by the neighboring couple’s intimate atmosphere, Aoi finds himself acting on his feelings alone… Later, Ryota comes home late from his part-time job, sees Aoi asleep, and—unable to hold back his emotions—ends up reaching out to him. (The preciousness of this scene is beyond words…!!)

Inner conflict born from childhood friends whose sense of personal boundaries is completely out of sync.

After being touched by Ryota that night, Aoi can’t help but become more self-conscious. He starts to feel that the closeness they once took for granted is somehow different now—and that the distance between them is undeniably shrinking in a new way. Seeing a serious expression on Ryota’s face, one he had never witnessed before precisely because they were childhood friends, leaves Aoi feeling conflicted. Ryota finally confesses the feelings he has kept hidden for so long, while Aoi struggles with how to respond to those emotions. The inner conflict in this part is absolutely wonderful…!!

I can only hope for a happy future for the two of them…

The pairing of ever-caring Aoi and affection-seeking Ryota is something my entire being absolutely celebrates (＾＾)—I want to keep watching over them until the very end…!! I hope to introduce future volumes on this blog as well, so please be sure to read it yourself and enjoy the heartwarming journey of these two as they move step by step toward their future together!